24 Year Old Breast Reduction - From J to D

I am sitting at about 6 days post-op as of Feb...

8 Feb 2016

6 days post

I am sitting at about 6 days post-op as of Feb 8/16.

My story..
I was a C-cup by the 8th grade and bloomed to a 34DDD by the end of high school (which I was bulging out of). Friends would often point out size of breasts, I was known as the friend with the big boobs.

I was very shy and hated attention, so I combated this by slouching, doubling a sports bra (hello uni-boob) over normal bra and wearing loose fitting shirts. Breasts were very uneven and I loathed it. I tried to stuff my right bra cup with tissues to make them look more even.

From 2009 until 2016 I increased in size from 34F to 32J. Weight loss did not effect breast size. I dealt with it best I could. Tried not to let it affect my confidence and relationships, but I couldn't help but feel self-conscious of the size and asymmetry when nude.

My neck and back were starting to get very sore and in December 2015 I booked an appt with my doctor. I was referred to a surgeon and had a consultation in January 2016 and was approved to be a good candidate for breast reduction. Surgery costs were covered by my provincial health care.

My surgeon said my breasts were dense and therefore there would be no need to pair liposuction with breast reduction. She would perform a lollipop incision as it minimizes scarring and projects a more conical pleasing shape. No drains needed, dissolvable stitches to be used. The size would be brought down to around D-cup territory.

I was very nervous but all the staff put me at ease. I changed into my gown and housecoat, and an IV was inserted. I was brought into the surgical room where the surgeon drew her markings on me. Soon after I was laid on the table; they took my blood pressure, put a blanket over me to keep me warm, and eventually was given oxygen & administered all the good feelings through my IV. I had pre-warned the surgeon and anesthesiologist that I get bad nausea after surgeries, so they had made sure to give me anti-nausea drugs. I still threw up a little bit when I first woke up but for the most part felt fine. My mom drove me home a few hours later.

I took T3's to manage the pain and also to sleep well the first 3-4 days. I also paired these with stool softeners (trust me, you'll need it) and gravol to ward off nausea. Drank lots of water, gingerale, gatorade. I switched to normal Tylenol 4 days post-op and took as needed.

I was so bloated and constipated until the wee hours of the third post-op morning, when the 3 stool softeners I took decided to finally kick in. I think the poop cramps were worse than my breast pain. I've never had an issue wiping my front and back this week though which was nice.

The worst part of recovery has been having to 1) sleep on my back and 2) sit around and actually recover. I'm a side and stomach sleeper so sleeping propped up on my back has been absolute hell. It made my back extremely sore for the first few days. My breasts never felt painful, more just tight and swollen. And I was so bored! Everything made me tired and made me nap. Worst of all my bandages were to remain on for a week and I wasn't allowed to shower or get them wet until they came off. I was very sick of baby wipes by the end. But my advice is REST. You need it. Keep yourself hydrated and make sure to do little walks around your house every so often to get on your feet. I managed to talk short walks about day 4 and 5 post-op.

Another oddity was the 'fluttering' in my left breast, which I still have. I couldn't tell if it was leftover fluids, nerves, or muscles twitching.

So far I'm very happy with the result. There's some bruising and swelling but the size and shape seems really nice so far! I'm excited but impatient for the healing process

Post-Op Update

Week Three Update

Everything seems to be healing pretty smoothly so far. My breasts are healing at different speeds but that is to be expected

My left breast still has bruising and the left nipple is almost hyper-sensitive (I barely had feeling before surgery so this is a change). It's also settling into quite a nice shape!

My right breast almost has no bruising, but I do not have feeling in the nipple, so we'll see if that returns or not! It's not settling as quickly as the left has, there is still some flatness underneath but I've already noticed the flatness has improved just from week 2 to week 3.

I've been using Kelo cote scar gel after my showers each day and wearing my compression bras 24/7. My scars are coming along beautifully, they are very thin and already are beginning to flatten. For a while I had fluttering sensations/muscle twitches happening underneath my breasts but those disappeared after the second week. I can now also sleep on my side

So far I'm super happy with the decision to get a breast reduction. My neck and back pain is completely gone and I'm excited to look more normal in clothing. My boobs are pretty perky and a lot more even too so that's been a nice bonus haha

Week 4 Update

29 Feb 2016

27 days post

Had my second post-op appointment today. Learned that I had 285 grams taken from my right breast, and 372 grams removed from the left!

I've been given the OK to start easing my way into activities again, as long as I wear a proper sports bra and listen to my body. And I can sleep without the compression bra now! I still have to wear it during the day but it'll be nice to have freedom while I sleep. I waited 10 days post-op to be intimate with my partner, but we've kept it very gentle and slow while I recover. This week I've finally been able to hug/cuddle him closely without vast amounts of pain

Everything has been healing so smoothly. My scars are coming along great and I've begun moisturizing my breasts, and continuing to use the scar gel. The little scabs are beginning to flick off... I've been tempted to peel away the scabs but I keep telling myself I'll have better scarring outcomes if I keep away. I have dissolvable stitches but one has been poking through my nipple since week 2, so they were able to snip the intruding part off today. I was told they should mostly be dissolved by week 6, but could be a bit longer

My left breast and nipple are still a little larger/asymmetrical than my right, but I'm really not bothered by this at all -- it's a lot better than it was before! But I am feeling pretty excited about the perkiness of everything. I haven't been this perky since I first started developing! I keep showing them off to my friends

Still no sensation in the right nipple, while the left is hypersensitive. Right now my right breast is still a bit flat underneath, but my surgeon said by the 3rd month it should have settled, and that the breasts will even continue to shift around well into a year! The breasts are still pretty tender to touch near the incisions. Bruising has almost completely faded. Boobies seem to get more swollen in the evening/night I've found

So far that's all I can think of in terms of updating! It continues to be a waiting game, and I'm quite impatient :P But when I look back at pictures only from two weeks ago, I can see a huge difference already

Week 5 Update

8 Mar 2016

1 month post

Just in the past week I've noticed my scars deepen to a darker red but they still remain flat, and I continue to use my silicone scar gel. I was given the OK to sleep without a bra at night but I feel like that made the scars widen just a little. So I alternate sleeping with and without the bra at night. I can lie on my stomach now for short periods of time, breasts are still a tad tender.
The right breast is taking it's time to settle out. The left breast is still bigger than the right.
Will start bra searching in a few weeks!
I've managed some gentle yoga and hiking this week... feels amazing to be active again

Side View Breast Settlement

11 Mar 2016

1 month post

A user was curious how my breasts have been settling out so I'm posting a pic.
I'm 5.5 weeks post op at the moment. Left breast seems to have settled well. The right breast continues to improve but still a tad flat underneath, but not overly worried as it settles a little more as each week passes. I think in a month or two it should be fine

Nearing Week 10

7 Apr 2016

2 months post

Getting close to my 10th week post reduction!

Bought my first bra and in US size it said 34DDD and CAN size a 34F, so while I'm still on the larger side I still feel so much lighter! And I still have my hourglass proportions which I am happy about.

No further complications, everything has been smooth sailing.
Continuing with my scar gel and have added massaging bio oil into my breasts 2-3 times a week, because I've found lumpy scar tissue and want to break it up.

Only thing is the bottom of my incisons have little "butts" and I've also found it looks like the incision wasn't made to the root of my breast. So now I have a crease looking thing between root of breast and actual breast.

Dr. Van Vliet was professional, knowledgeable and comforting during this process. I very much enjoy that she is to-the-point and doesn't sugar coat anything. She provides all the information up front at the consultation and pre-op so I didn't really have too many questions at the end. She is highly recommended and I felt confident after my appointments with her. So far I'm happy with my results.
From initial consultation to my actual surgery was very quick. Waiting room times before my appointments at the office ranged between 10 mins to 45 mins.
I'm feeling satisfied with the results and time spent with my follow ups